Food Combinations: Questions and Advice

First of all, excuse my English if I am not making myself so clear :) My question has to do with getting/absorbing all the nutrients and good digestion. These are the reasons I am asking and I care about combinations. In general I try to have balanced meals, but each of my snacks can sometimes be just one thing (fruit for example) or two things (cracker and cheese for example).

the thing about online is that anyone can post anything and they don't have to have a bit of anything to back it up. someone can put all sorts of information about how the sky is green and there isn't anyone that goes around policing the internet to say that you can't say things that aren't true. it's kind of an extension of how anyone can make up any story they want and at least self publish it. rules that you read about online should be taken with a grain of salt because there doesn't have to be any proof to back it up. a site like sparkpeople is going to be one of the free ways to access data backed information without paying for it. but you have to remember even then that the research is being filtered, in part because there isn't any comprehensive research being done on any sort of a large scale. most sites that have data backed info are fee based, and getting access through your local higher level education institution is going to be the best way to access it in terms of price. a few people are saying that pubmed and googledocs are becoming reliable sources, but i haven't checked for myself yet. and that also means that you need to read and interpret the research yourself. that being said, nuts are a nice mix of carbs, fat and protein. and i can't think of any reason why they wouldn't go well with a glass of orange juice if that's what you want for a snack, but i also have never even heard of whatever combination system you happened upon online. since orange juice is a carb i would say your snack should have some protein and some fat [cheese or eggs are also coming to mind], but that is just because i try to get a little of each one each time i eat. i figure that since carbs are now energy, protein is later energy and fat lets me get all the good bits out of the other things that if i eat a little bit of them each time i eat it will keep me fuller longer and let me take advantage of the food i am already eating.

Where are you getting the idea that certain foods should not be combined? Aside from a few issues with nutrient absorption -- which it seems you are not talking about since you're discussing macros -- I'm not aware of anything. I know that people keep coming up with ever-more-complicated ways to lose weight that like to discuss anything and everything but reducing calories; is this something along those lines? If you combine certain foods you can't lose weight; or if you combine them another way the pounds will just melt off, that sort of thing?

Thanks for the reply! Lovely idea. I would like to eat something with my orange juice, as a snack, and I read online that we shouldn't combine it with carbs nor proteins. Could I eat some nuts with it? Or what else? Thanks.

i like mixing orange juice with hot sauce to make a dipping sauce for shrimp. but you can really put orange juice with anything you want that doesn't upset your stomach. as long as you are meeting your needs overall, it doesn't matter what the breakdown is throughout the day.

SparkPeople, SparkCoach, SparkPages, SparkPoints, SparkDiet, SparkAmerica, SparkRecipes, DailySpark, and other marks are trademarks of SparkPeople, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this website can be used without the permission of SparkPeople or its authorized affiliates.
SPARKPEOPLE is a registered trademark of SparkPeople, Inc. in the United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia. All rights reserved.

NOTE: Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy last updated on October 25, 2013